¤ Gallimaufry ¤

Part I: Chapter II

Aftermath

The scar that the plane had left on the earth was nothing more than a cleared line of land, tree debris scattered across from the collision. The only thing that bugged Sakura was that there was no airplane in sight. Her emerald eyes darted left, and then right, searching for some kind of leftover metal. But there was nothing. Nothing but the golden sun and the wrecked ground. The whole thing couldn't have just… vanished; baggage and all. Even the people…

"Whoa," Naruto breathed in awe, "Where'd it go?"

"Where'd the people go?" Sakura thought aloud, eyes wide and astounded. She hadn't even wondered about that before, despite its obvious relevance. She had been in a flying vehicle full of medical students— full of her classmates. What happened to them? Where were they? Suddenly Sakura began to conjure up the worst possible scenarios, causing her heart to fill with sorrow. What if…

"They died," Naruto stated, face grim as he kicked a nearby piece of charred wood, "Probably, I mean. I think the same happened to the people on my ship. Although I don't remember what happened, I guess most of them must have drowned—"

"Was there anything left from the ship that you found on the beach?" Sakura said, slicing off Naruto's thoughts with her own— not that Naruto seemed to mind.

"No," Naruto responded, rubbing the back of his neck and looking in the corner of his eye in contemplation, "There was some driftwood that I used for my first fire, but that couldn't have come from my ship. My ship was completely metal."

"Plus," He continued, staring into Sakura's jade orbs, "Like I said, I don't remember much of what happened to my ship. There's a possibility it may still be out at sea, continuing its route to Institution."

Sakura's mind blew up at this, thoughts racing a mile a minute. Was it possible?

"But the same can't be said about the airplane… can it?" Sakura couldn't believe she was even considering it. A plane just picking up off the ground and leaving. And without noticing her absence, to say the least. And after exploding. Could it have possibly put itself back together?

"It's very unlikely, I suppose," Naruto was looking very serious now, his deep cerulean eyes narrowed dangerously at a piece of debris. He himself couldn't even fathom the thought, "Also remember that I did see the plane on fire— and your burns prove that it wasn't my imagination. Maybe the plane is biodegradable; a lot of things are nowadays."

"A biodegradable plane? That's unheard of," Sakura said, shaking her head, "And for it to completely degrade in less than a day— a plane of that magnitude— is just impossible. What about the people? We'd see something leftover, wouldn't we?"

Naruto shrugged, causing Sakura to frown. He was supposed to know these things! He was the expert, wasn't he? Sakura internally growled at herself, willing for a reasonable explanation as she absently ran a hand through her tangled pink locks. With all that information to consider, she couldn't even guess where the plane was at the moment. Did it degrade, or was it still on its course to Institution? She honestly had no idea. The lack of adequate information prevented her from making an educated guess. There was no 'percentile' and 'probability' here— not like she learned in school. Usually, logic was her forte. Using this doctoral-enhanced skill, it would be right to say that the plane couldn't have left the island— just like that. No. It was absolutely impossible. Sakura had felt and had seen the explosion it gave off. She distinctly remembered falling out of the plane, getting her skin scorched by the embers, and being rescued by a very survival-savvy man. Those were the only facts Sakura knew. The most 'logical' explanation would be that the plane had degraded. And if it did, then perhaps the bodies were burned to ashes. Perhaps everything else was too— even though Sakura knew far in her mind that many of the plane's components were flame retardant— including the non-biodegradable things, like her carry-on bags.

Sakura rubbed her temples as she and Naruto began searching the grounds for some clues. Fine, she concluded, the plane degraded. It made sense, and therefore it was right to believe it. She had to believe until it was disproven, right?

(Actually, Sakura still didn't believe it, despite how logical it seemed. She could think of so many contradictories to that conclusion. Nonetheless, to save herself from becoming ill with nerves, she decided it best not to dwell on unimportant matters. Or, well, matters that shouldn't be important. Like things of the past. Like the plane, which was, bottom line, gone.)

"Find anything yet?" Sakura called over to Naruto as she looked behind a bush. She gazed over her shoulder to search for the boy, seeing a tan hand shoot up from the other side of a fallen tree.

"Nothing yet!" He waved, quickly going back to his investigation. Sakura sighed and blew the hair from her face, straightening her already aching spine. There was no point in looking for anything in such a mess, let alone her bags.

"Its fine," Sakura called, this time with a hint of disappointment in her voice, "It's clearly gone. I'll live without it."

Naruto sprung up and jogged over to Sakura's side, bringing his blonde eyebrows together. Sakura glanced at his concerned face, mustering a little pathetic smile as she said, "Really, its fine."

As Naruto's ocean eyes searched her face he could tell that this whole ordeal was bothering her way too much, but he wouldn't press. She looked exhausted; her eyes were becoming distant and dull, and her frown accentuated, deepened, the lines of her face. Naturally, exploring any more was last on her agenda. Getting used to this environment would take her while, Naruto thought, and even more so with her city-girl background.

He ran a hand through his golden tresses briefly, throwing a muscular arm around Sakura's shoulder— a gesture he would use to comfort the girls back in his Province. It always worked. However, Sakura only tensed under his touch, her shoulders becoming stone as her wary eyes darted to his calm and composed face. He squeezed her rigid form, momentarily gazing down at her pink head as he began to lead her into the jungle, towards camp. Surprisingly— even to Sakura— her muscles relaxed. Normally she would have shaken off Naruto's touch— or any male's, for that matter—and stepped away. But she was just way too tired to resist the warmth of his arm.

And, like the day he rescued her, having his masculine grip around her made her feel… protected, in a way.

Sakura's didn't feel well at all. It wasn't that she had a headache. No, she refused to let that happen. It was her stomach again. Even after the supposed miracle-working honey pop, she still left ill. And on top of that, there was a keen throb in her right elbow, like a hammer hitting her bone. The only thing that seemed to help her ignore it all was the fire in front of her.

She sighed, placing the good elbow on one of her raised knees and resting her chin in her palm. A breeze blew faintly, causing Sakura to exhale again, scanning the beach in boredom. Lazily she gazed over at Naruto, who was knee deep in the calm ocean waters, poised with his makeshift spear and waiting patiently for some food. Occasionally she would hear a splash, or a smack of the waves against his legs, but other than that he was completely silent. Sakura sighed thrice, wiping the sweat from her brow that the blazing sun had so rudely put there. Still bored, she flipped over her arm and gazed at her DC—a bump forming above it, a lot like Naruto's. Soon enough, it would reach the top layer of skin and she'd probably have to cut it out. Though, now that she thought about it, she really wasn't sure how you were supposed to remove it. Did it just fall off?

There was a violent splash, and Sakura couldn't help but cringe at the sound. She looked over toward the ocean, watching Naruto's back tense, the lines of hard muscle visible under the late afternoon sun. He growled out a curse, inspecting the sharp end of his spear with chagrin. Sakura took off her shoes, stood, and ambled over to where he was standing, careful not to disturb the returning fish as the warm water engulfed her knees, soaking the tips of her jean Bermuda shorts.

"Mind if I try?" Sakura asked, offering a warm grin. In a normal situation she wouldn't have asked, though she could tell Naruto was frustrated. Plus, she hadn't done anything useful yet, and perhaps it would take a load off of Naruto's shoulders. It took all of Sakura's might to stop herself from ogling over his chest and abs and stare as unwavering as she could into his soft eyes. In the back of her mind she wanted to sneak a peak, and this desire, no matter how odd and disgusting she thought it was, was relatively potent in her mind, making simply listening to Naruto's response a feat. It was like a natural instinct— one that really didn't seem so natural to her— to want to scan over his body.

"Of course not! Here, give it a go," He replied, and his white smile was nearly as hard to abstain from looking at as his abs were. He handed her the spear, "Would you like me to teach you? Though I do kind of suck at it."

"Sure."

"Alright," He began, widening his stance and poising himself, "First you've got to ready yourself. Catching fish is all about patience and stillness."

"Okay, I've got patience," Sakura mused aloud, copying Naruto's posture. This should be easy then, she thought.

"You have to wait for the right moment to strike. The water makes it difficult because it distorts the images of the fish, but, whenever you feel like you've got a good fish, just stab down at it. It's actually quite simple."

"Okay…" Sakura murmured, getting into her focusing mode. She watched as wave after wave passed over the white sandy floor, washing in the occasional seashell, but no fish yet. It must have been merely ten minutes of waiting and Sakura could already feel her muscles burning. She looked over at Naruto, who seemed to be watching her calculatingly.

"Wouldn't it make sense to do this in shallower waters?"

"Usually, yes," He responded, "But the waves are less crazy further out, so it's a little easier."

"Oh," Sakura said, returning her attention back to the waters in front of her. Her green eyes lit up at the sight of a silvery creature, medium sized she guessed, that swam leisurely in front of her. For a lucky moment it halted, simply wiggling in place. Sakura grinned excitedly. Taking advantage of that moment, she plunge the bamboo spear into the water— albeit the force of it hurting her elbow— and swiftly lifted it out, only to discover the end bare. She groaned, scowling at the waters, and particularly the fish as its good for nothing tail swam itself away.

"You make it look so easy," Sakura huffed, pouting angrily. She handed the amused Naruto his spear, glaring at his once attractive and now mocking pearly smile.

"Practice makes perfect!" He chuckled, and Sakura couldn't stop the tiny grin that crept its way onto her lips. Just looking at him made this happened sometimes.

"How did you even makes the spear? I mean, with what?"

"I used this to cut it," Naruto said, pulling out a pocket knife from his shorts, "It was hard at first, since bamboo is so strong, but I got it done eventually."

There was a short pause where Sakura just stared at Naruto. He was… so skilled.

"You amaze me," Sakura finally said, shaking her head in disbelief. Why was he so good at everything? It was unfair.

"Aww shucks," Naruto uttered as he batted his eyelashes. Sakura giggled at this, causing Naruto's grin to widen and Sakura's eyes to roll.

"Oh please!" She said, "You're so overly conceited."

"Conceited? Me?" Naruto gasped, feigning hurt as he placed a hand over his heart, "How could you say such a thing?"

"Just go put a shirt on, weirdo," Sakura muttered as she made her way out of the water.

"Why? Can't handle my sexiness?"

Sakura scoffed. What nerve! To use such a primitive and foul word, and in front of a lady! Well, she supposed she shouldn't be surprised. It was Naruto, after all. And with yet another roll of the eyes, she called back, "No, not because of your… 'sexiness'." She even cringed saying it, "But because the sun is very dangerous. Especially here. You don't want your back to get burned, do you?"

"Relax," He assured, drawing out the word lazily, "In my Province we do this all the time and we've never gotten hurt by the sun."

"Well," Sakura chipped, crossing her arms. She fixed a steamy glare at his back, "When you look like a strawraspberry tomorrow morning, don't say I didn't warn you."

"…Whatever you say, mommy." Naruto muttered under his breath, lucky that the waves drowned out the words, thus saving him from a very angry Sakura. He needed to find a way to loosen her up, he mused, make her live a little. She was the first girl he'd ever met that was so uptight, and it intrigued him a bit. All of the girls in his Province were more or less like him: outgoing and free spirited. But Sakura. No no no. She was way different. However, strangely, Naruto liked it. It was the only thing that was keeping him sane during these passed two days. He always liked a challenge.

Sakura sat by the fire for what seemed like hours. She had nothing to do. Or at least nothing useful. All she could do was continuously watch Naruto spear fish, captivated by his figure for some strange reason. She couldn't think of a word to describe him. He was a very fit boy, with lean muscle and a very… manly aura to him. Very protective. His hair, as golden as the sun that bathed it, was messy— a bit on the short side— and was periodically swept back on his head, causing it to look spiky. And his eyes… They were such a deep blue— such a rich blue— that it gave both the sky and the ocean shame.

Still… Sakura couldn't find the right word for him.

But then suddenly it came to her.

"Handsome!" She whispered, snapping her fingers. Though nearly immediately after the word escaped her lips, she covered her mouth. Her green eyes widened as she realized what she just said. 'Handsome', was not a word anyone used to describe people, let alone men. It was a word commonly used to describe landscape, or behavior. Not people. That was just absurd. She'd never felt anything like this toward anyone before, and frankly, it scared her— Attraction… that's what she knew it was called. In school she learned that only spouses were attracted toward each other. If so, then why was she attracted to Naruto? It made no sense to her, because she had known other boys her entire life. Boys that she grew up with. Yet here was one that she met no more than a day ago, and these 'feelings' seemed to be brewing in the pit of her stomach. Surely some of her male classmates were 'handsome' like Naruto, and if not, then more so. Why Naruto, then? It puzzled her.

The boy in question walked over and placed his catches on a palm frond next to the fire, beginning to walk toward the forest. Sakura raised her head at this, wanted to say something but was unable to. Naruto, as if sensing this, stopped at the hairline of the forest, gazing over his shoulders and connecting eyes with the speechless girl. "I'll be back before sunset," He informed, "I'm just going out for some food."

All the pink headed girl could do was nod.

As soon as Naruto's shuffling retreated into the background of the jungle, Sakura found herself bored again. She needed to do something, not just to sate her own sanity, but to help Naruto. He was doing everything by himself so far, and if they were going to be a team she'd need to learn, fast. Looking around the sandy stretch of land, the only thing useful to do was spear— and even the fish knew how badly she sucked at that. She considered her other options— fishing being last on the list. The forest— the only other place besides the beach or the ocean— was a definite no-no, and she could only go so far out before the water was too deep in the ocean.

The only people that knew how to swim— probably with the exception of Naruto, who apparently knew everything— were the Athletes. And Sakura was no Athlete. In fact, the Medical and the Athletic provinces were nearly opposite in practice.

Sakura ran a hand through her hair tiredly as she stood and sauntered the shoreline. Perhaps, she thought, she could look for other sea critters. There were plenty of immotile animals stuck around the ocean floor. It'd be easiest, for her at least, to capture those instead.

And so with that plan in mind she walked into the soothing water, not letting it get passed her knees, and gazed down into the clear liquid. The sand was soft and pale, burying her feet and making her toes look like sea worms peeking out of the ocean floor. Tiny fish, ones that Sakura hadn't seen while spearing, circled her legs, nibbling at her toes. The sensation tickled, sending a shiver up her spine. She wiggled her feet, causing the sand on top to form a disgruntled cloud that drove away the miniature fish. Sakura exhaled, uncomfortable with being fish food, and began searching for something, anything, besides fish.

Something pale pink caught Sakura's eye then. She reached down into the water, bringing up what seemed like a conch shell. Sakura fingered its shaped, tracing to cone-like spiral and the sharp grooves. She remembered reading about something like it in a beginner's book. A shell, or rather, an animal that looked like a shell, that secreted some sort of natural antibiotic, or material that helped with something. It was a minor thing, very unimportant in her studies, so she never really dedicated her time to memorizing it. And for the love of the New World, she couldn't remember what it was!

Sakura groaned at her horrible memory, turning the shell over to reveal a very curvy and open cave. Inside the cave there was something odd. Sakura blinked, making sure it was not her imagination. A pink something was lodged inside, and if she had to describe it, she'd call it 'stuck'. Cagily, she moved her finger to poke it, recoiling when her nail sunk into the warm flesh, causing her to drop it back into the water. She knew that she should have reached down and retrieved it again; however her body was too much of a coward to follow her brain's orders. Creatures like that, or just creatures unlike humans in general, simply freaked her out.

Eventually she gave up searching for food; walking back to the beach and sitting at the shoreline, letting the arriving waves greet her outstretched legs with foam and then pull back into the ocean peacefully. This steady come and go seemed to lull Sakura. Her green eyes scanned the ocean with a bit of disdain as she contemplated her situation once more. She was stuck on an insignificant land mass surrounded by an expansive blue sea. Frankly, staring at it was discouraging. All she wanted was to go home, and at least give a proper goodbye to her family. Her family who didn't know that there was a strong possibility they'd never see her again. Her family who didn't know that she wasn't at Institution, learning and making new friends. Sakura pressed her lips together, her fingers digging into the wet sand, creating mounds. She looked out to the ocean again, this time with wonder. Maybe there was hope. Maybe, if she wished it long enough, a ship would sail by.

She waited for a few moments, tense with prayer.

But nothing came. Sure, she thought, it wouldn't come right away. But still, a sign of hope would be nice.

There wasn't much time left in the day and the sun was just hitting the horizon, igniting the familiar crystals along the water's surface. The sight was breathtaking. Among the many sparkles, however, Sakura spotted a glint— a random light that went again the methodical shimmer of the ocean. She stood and walked closer to get a better look. There, bobbing up and down, disappearing and reappearing behind the waves. It was an object and no matter how much Sakura struggled to see what it was, the glare from the sun was just too stubborn to let her through. For a quick moment she debated whether or not to go out and get it. Only she was sadly reminded of her inability to swim.

"Sakura!"

The pink haired girl whipped her head around; searching for the voice that she knew belonged to Naruto. He wasn't there.

"Sakura! I found something!" He called again, his voice echoing through the forest.

"What is it?" She yelled in response, quickly spinning her head back around to search for the glint… But it was gone. She brought her eyebrows together, searching frantically for it again.

"I think it's some kind of box! I can't really tell! It's in some enormous tree!"

Sakura frowned, watching the sun begin to set, "It's almost dark out! We can check it out at daybreak! I think I saw something too! Come back and help me find it!"

There was a distant bustling in the foliage and Sakura began to make her way toward the camp fire. She reached the warm flames, refueling it briefly with Naruto's supply stack of tinder, and noticing the gradually advancing rustling from the foliage. Sakura grinned, saying a bit loudly so Naruto could hear, "Wow. That was fast. Is the box really that close to camp? That means we won't have a problem bringing it back, I hope."

The rustling suddenly halted. Sakura raised a brow, inching closer to the jungle edge. "Naruto?" She uttered, pivoting her head to peer into the jungle, but the thick foliage was too much to see passed, "Quit playing, okay?"

There was a broad silence.

"…Naruto?"

A figure stumbled out of the dense greenery, collapsing on the sandy ground with a thud. It wasn't Naruto.

"Where are we going?"

"Just up this mountain."

"But why?" The girl complained, slumping and groaning dramatically. Her perfectly manicured feet were killing her. Plus, her stomach was turning unpleasantly inside and making her feel sick.

"Because!" The dark haired boy barked, annoyed, "The higher we go, the more we can see of the area. Maybe we'll find some signs of civilization. Or even some damn water."

The girl gave another long and aggravated moan, rolling her head, causing the silky yet disheveled train of hair that when down her back to sway in its pony tail. Platinum strands were messily pulled from the top of her head, hanging loosely on the sides and in front of her face. She blew them away, crunching her straight and dirt smothered nose in disgusted. Dull blue eyes drilled holes into the boy's back.

"How much longer?"

"Listen kid," The boy growled, whipping his head around and stopping in his uphill trek, "If me and you are going to be doing this together, you need to learn one thing about me: I get annoyed easily. So, if you would please do me some good and shut your trap, that would be great!"

The girl crossed her arms, suppressing the animalistic urge to hiss at him like some cat.

"Kid? We're the same age!" She back talked, clenching her hidden fists. The boy took a deep breath, closing his chestnut eyes for a moment to calm himself.

"Do you want me to leave you? I'm perfectly capable of surviving on my own. You, on the other hand…"

Frowning, the girl stared at the boy with a little bit of worry. Would he really leave her? He knew very well where her abilities stood, even if they had only been together for a day. She couldn't possibly survive without some help in this place.

"Relax," the boy muttered, turning back around and continuing up the slope, "I won't leave you… I'm not that much of an ass."

His words, although not said in the kindest tone, reassured the girl, causing a shiny white smile to spread across her lips. She opened her mouth to say something, but then thought against it, knowing even a mere thank you might just make the boy change his mind.

Within no less than an hour the two approached the peak of a somewhat tiny mountain. The girl exhaled loudly in relief, nearly collapsing out of both exhaustion and glee. Her burning thighs seemed to keep burning even after stopping. Panting with her hands on her knees, she lifted her head to watch the boy move towards the end of the forest, weaving through whatever trees were left and halting at the edge of a cliff.

He went ridged.

"Come… look at this," He whispered, and the girl could barely catch it over the jungle's ruckus.

"What is it?" She questioned, walking to his side.

Her body tensed as well at the sight. Rolls and rolls of jungle, thick and foreboding, continued on forever in all directions, consuming the horizon. Everything was green, with several sheets of clouds hovering aimlessly above. Just the sight of it all made the corners of the girls blue eyes feel wet with anxiety. She swallowed hard, keeping herself from crying.

"Where are we…?"

To be continued…

A/N: Oh my goodness, my computer is so crappy! It took forever to write this with all the lag!

I apologize for the delay! Really, I'm so sorry! *scolds self*

Okay, so obviously here is chapter 2! I hope you liked it! It still needs some editing because my computer is too slow for me to waste time and go back. I apologize for any gaping mistakes, as well as the tiny ones!

Well, yeah. Review! PLEASE! I don't have much time before I go back to school, and I think if I got some motivation then I could write one more before then! (Who knows how busy I'll be once school starts ;n;)

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Please… c: - for the cute smiley face.

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